[From the diaries by susanhu.] The coverage of Hurricane Katrina has been extensive here at BooTrib. Madman describes anarchy, while tribe34 alerts us to the offer of help from Canada; Stu Piddy is raising the possibility of racial disparities in the recovery effort, while ManfromMiddleTown muses whether New Orleans should be rebuilt at all.
The common thread of this disastrous event is the blatant lack of competence with respect to the rescue and recovery efforts in the Gulf Coast. Homeland Security failed in a real way this week. The Bush Administration has flunked their first major infrastructure test since the September 11th attacks.
Newsweek puts all of this in context below the fold…
For the White House, it was interesting timing. Over the last month, administration officials have deflected criticism of Bush’s monthlong stay at his Texas ranch by making the case that technology has made it possible for Bush to run the country from anywhere, even the so-called Western White House. Indeed, the Bush ranch is equipped with highly secure videoconferencing equipment and phones, and, according to White House officials, Bush has made use of them just about every day this month to talk to senior aides back in Washington and other administration officials scattered throughout the country.
[snip]
So why is Bush going back to Washington now? When asked yesterday what Bush could do in Washington for hurricane relief that he couldn’t do from his Texas ranch, McClellan told reporters no less than five times that it was the president’s “preference” to return to the White House. Asked if the decision was more “symbolic” than logistical, McClellan said, “I disagree with the characterization.”
Well Scotty, I’m not sorry that you disagree with the question. I happen to disagree with the fact that George Bush is the President of the United States. You see, I happen to consider George the worst leader I have ever had the displeasure of experiencing first-hand.
- He never holds anyone accountable for their mistakes.
- He fires or demotes any dissenters
- He is incapable of communicating effectively
- He has proven to be the Ultimate Divider, not uniter.
For the past five years, progressives and other sane Americans, have been screaming from their virtual rooftops; trying to get the attention of the rest of the country that they were being led astray by an incompetent Master of Deception.
The greatest illusion in history has been the way the Republican Noise Machine has distracted the people from recognizing this fact. Perhaps the American people will finally snap out of their trance and realize that the rooftop screaming is no longer an illusion:
Update [2005-8-31 23:53:54 by Man Eegee]:The Gray Lady unleashes her wrath on Bush:
[snip]
It would be some comfort to think that, as Mr. Bush cheerily announced, America “will be a stronger place” for enduring this crisis. Complacency will no longer suffice, especially if experts are right in warning that global warming may increase the intensity of future hurricanes. But since this administration won’t acknowledge that global warming exists, the chances of leadership seem minimal.
WOW!
If you haven’t already contributed, please do it now.
And though I haven’t given to the RC yet, I have good reason.
My employer just announced a double-match policy, where they will contribute twice to whatever I give. I had to wait for them to announce it. First thing tomorrow morning, I will be sending several hundred dollars through that link of yours, and twice as much will follow from them.
I encourage everyone else to check with their employers and see if they will match gifts. Mine will match 1 for 1 in normal circumstances, but does double in times like this (and the Asian Tsunami, etc.).
if you can. Unlike my husband who is a gulf vet and can not give blood. Another diary all of its own…
Red Cross was hurting for blood before this happened, they even had prime TV ads calling out for blood donations.
Excellent idea ejmw!
from here in SoCal…and when the spouse and I get home, will check with local Red Cross to see if they’ll take my blood (depends on if my medications disqualify me)…
and major props to your employer for being so generous. This country is capable of great things, it’s time we start ‘feeding the good wolf’ as iPig would say. The Bush Administration has spent far too much energy feeding the bad one. It’s time to let our hope and light shine.
This week has been one of those: “My bad wolf ate my inner child” kinda week.
Gave money I don’t have this evening.
But as I say here
in my home
at my computer
watching my tv
eating a cookie
drinking flavored seltzer
There was no way I could consider myself as lacking the resources to help.
I’ll pay bills tomorrow and if there is more I’ll give more…
… and maybe I won’t eat so many cookies this month and that wouldn’t be such a bad thing either.
thing earlier; trying to weigh my budgets, but in the end my heart went out to these people and their vast need for help. Peace to you Andrew.
I used your ARC link for my donation. Thanks.
the Gulf Coast area thank you, NDDem. Peace to you.
have not forgotten that the citizens of many states made contributions to their recovery after the devastation of flood and fires in the spring of ’97.
talked it over while having dinner in Disneyland’s New Orleans Square, of all places…it would seem heartless to ignore the real New Orleans while enjoying the faux one…
that I hope New Orleans Square isn’t all that we have left to remember the real thing by when all is said and done.
I was at a baseball game last night (long-scheduled family outing) and the Red Cross was inside and outside collecting donations, which they announced several times on the reader board.
And he and his buddies all PROFIT from misery.
andandand my guinea pig speaks better than the “World Leader”.
…
No offense to guinea pigs or rodents.
is showing the videos and pictures of people on their rooftops, some holding signs, all screaming for help. Each face, each voice, represents a large ‘F’ written in blood on George W. Bush’s Presidential Exam.
I got so tired of the “looting news”… I guess that’s how they keep from reporting about the levee didn’t get repaired due to Homeland Security saying “no money for you, LA!”
A big F for W… yes.
and you know what, it doesn’t matter if these people are rescued or not to Bush, Inc. They will get MONEY for all this misery.
Media has blood on thier hands, too.
how badly the NY Times slapped George for his performance today. (see diary update)
Do you think the Dems will finally wake up and realize that they should be speaking out just as strongly? Will no one in Washington hear our frustrations?
I’ll bet you ten to one they don’t because they think it will be bad manners to bitch about georgie while this disaster is happening-never mind that it has been made a hundred times worse cause of bushco…and if some democrat does speak up strongly-like the underfunded ‘everything’ for NO etc I’ll owe ya.
Great job Manny! My son and I were chatting on the phone this evening and we are so appalled at the coverage from the media. The only ones coming remotely close to responsilble journalism on tv is CNN, AAraon Brown and Anderson Cooper have asked the tough questions. Someone take that idiot media whore from FEMA and put him at a desk some where. Every time I turn around he is being interviewed and he is so out of touch with the reality of what is happening on the ground. ACCOUNTABILITY NOW!! PEOPLE ARE DYING NOW!! They won’t need that help two days from now THEY WILL BE FUCKING DEAD!!! WAKE UP AMERICA< YOUR PRESIDENT IS ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL!! May the SOB rot in hell! Sorry for the shouting I am just so GD pissed right now.
Did you see him earlier today on FOX (in the bit I’m thinking about he is standing on a freeway overpass across from the SuperDome) and he is speaking truth and taking NO shit from the anchors — he is acting like a human being. And he will not let Britt Hume get a word in edgewise….
“No Britt, the supplies are not here. We have not seen one bottle of water or one bite of food on the bridge for two days.”
Jeez are you serious brinn..but nice to know Faux viewers might actually be getting some of the real story of what is happening.
Our own Duranta is in Baton Rouge and said last night on another thread that he is fine, but they desperately need food and water dropped in by air in the affected areas, because there is none. Louisianans are helping Louisianans there.
Here in the PA area, some of the Delaware national guard are leaving TODAY to go help. So much for that crap about LA and MS having enough of their own guard at home. It’s criminal.
While you can add President Hugo Chavez to the list of those willing to help:
You can add this from Wonkette to Stu Piddy’s perspective when it comes to how the Media treats “race issues” in its coverage of the disaster:
That fuel thing might come in kinda handy from what I’ve been reading tonight. North and South Carolina are running out of gas as is W.Virginia. Don’t remember which state said they didn’t know if they’d have gas for their police cars, ambulances, etc. No link but I read it somewhere on Buzzflash. Also several airports might have to shut down…..
And if anyone doesn’t believe institutional racism is alive and very well then they must be part of the problem themselves.
from AMERICAblog are doing a great job of covering the looming gas crisis.
a commercial with a promo for Good Morning America. Georgie will be giving an interview tomorrow morning (9/1). I hope he takes his medication.
remembers to put on his ‘concerned’ face and not let his inappropriate sociopathic grin slip through.
I imagine he’ll say how hard everyone is working together, blah blah, Americans are strong people, blah blah we value life, blah blah, make up some numbers of food being sent, blah blah blah and god bless america..and oh yeah he’s declaring a National Prayer Day..
And I hope(but know they won’t)ask him why in the goddamn hell there isn’t enough people to go around..like Nat. Guard, other military personal…as the mayor of NO has taken the ENTIRE police force off of rescue efforts to make sure looting or looters are contained..so we can’t fucken do both?…wtf
They said it was his first television interview. (?)
I guess this term, this year.
TalkingPointsMemo café has some emails from members in the gulf states. One of them writes that FEMA was much faster helping people after the hurricane that just preceded the election and they are dragging their heels this time.
A few minutes ago, CNN did a phone interview with Sean Callebs reporting from Houston. The reporters had gotten to interview some of the first people off the bus from the Superdome arriving at the Astrodome.
The people are being described as hollow-eyed and in shock from the horror of their experiences inside the Superdome. Evidently, no one inside had been told that there would be water inside. When the water started coming in, there was mass panic and a stampede.
This is a nightmare. There has been zero leadership. What has happened to these people is unforgivable.
I saw that but in a bizarre twist about an hour later now it seems that officials are saying this was a ‘renegade’ bus..the people on it didn’t come from the Superdome…therefore they can’t stay.
The update from the reporter-Callebs-was trying to make the anchor on CNN understand that officials are taking only people from the buses from Superdome and that there are actually people standing across from Astrodome that are refugees but since they aren’t specifically from the designated busses they can’t get in to get help..this is just so goddamn screwed up it’s beyond a fucken clusterfuck.
I saw that too — they’re not letting in anyone who’s not from the Superdome. Unbelievable. But there were some Superdome people there — I heard them interview the woman. She’d been inside and gave quite a long interview. Callebs had interviewed quite a few. Are they maybe showing some older footage and not identifying it?
Sorry — you were completely correct. It wasn’t a mix-up. The first bus was from New Orleans, but it was what they’re calling a “renegade” bus. The reporters don’t know what’s going on and they are not allowed to talk to people or go in the Astrodome.
And isn’t that stupid..’a renegade bus’…like they were criminals or something.
just like Fallujah. I wonder why . . .
Am just back from about five days with no internet but watching lots of CNN and Weather Channel. Aaron Brown’s coverage on CNN has been good. The rest, enh.
BooTrib, however, and other blogs have done stellar reporting. I’ve been impressed by what I’ve seen of the mayor of New Orleans and the governor of Louisiana. Both must be under incredible pressure, and personally devastated.
Through the first few days of what is going to be a very long and sad time, and watching local officials trying to cope while BushCo plays, I have been struck by a very strong comparison (and forgive me if this has been said elsewhere, and my comment is in no way meant to dismiss the suffering along the coast):
New Orleans looks like Baghdad, with more water. This is what we have done to a large, cosmopolitan, densely populated city that is world-renowned. In both cases, the devastation probably could have been prevented by realistic policies and adequate planning.
I have heard comparison made to Baghdad, Hiroshima, war zones, etc. The devastation is vast, I hope we all do anything we can to help the people. Thx for your comment Mnemosyne, and welcome back online.
Chris Bowers of MyDD.com just posted a diary here at BooTrib outlining a campaign to raise donations for relief/recovery efforts. Check it out.
a grade school soccer coach. Each clipped sentence stating the obvious constructed the rah-rah-rah-we-can-do-it pep talk.
Americans deserve better.
He is a jerk.
That whole recitation of numbers of tons, numbers of this, numbers of that… holy fuck!!! That was 100% Stalin. I know that some part of the brain wants to be in denial… to find some glimmer of hope… but seriously, you are now experiencing first-hand what disaster in a totalitarian state looks like.
Why is anyone surprised?
Business as Usual!